Two levels of interconnection structures are typically used in semiconductor chips with a substrate. A first level of interconnection is typically provided between a semiconductor die and a package substrate, and then a second level of interconnection is provided between the substrate and a printed circuit board.
One technique for packaging a semiconductor die is to connect pads of the die to the substrate with wires (i.e., wire bonding). Electrical conductors typically extend through the substrate to an opposing surface thereof, and connect to an array of solder balls, which are typically spaced apart from each other on a much larger scale than the pads on the semiconductor die.
The package substrate in some semiconductor chips includes one or more power planes and/or one or more ground planes. These planes are each typically connected to multiple pads of the die and to multiple solder balls.
In some semiconductor chips, dedicated voltage monitoring connections are provided inside the die, and are connected to dedicated voltage monitoring pads on the die. Thus, in addition to power pads, ground pads, and other miscellaneous pads (e.g., signal or data pads), these chips include die pads specifically designed for voltage monitoring. The dedicated pads for voltage monitoring are typically different in construction than other pads (e.g., power pads and ground pads). The dedicated pads are typically designed to minimize wasted space. Providing dedicated pads for voltage monitoring requires a significant amount of design effort. Some semiconductor chips do not provide any voltage monitoring functionality.